1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for improving user accessibility in media processing devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to systems and methods for improving accessibility of media output from imaging, printing, and media handling devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Improved accessibility for all individuals is a goal in the planning and design of many public and private environments. This is particularly true in office environments. In the past, the placement of controls and outputs of business machines have been driven by conventional design constraints and the physical needs of typical users. However, current accessibility enhancements are directed to meeting the physical needs a broader range of individuals. The prior approach to the placement of controls and outputs on business machines according to the needs of typical users has failed to meet the needs of challenged individuals.
An area of particular interest with respect to accessibility relates to the class of business machines that print text, images and photographs on physical media. The end product of these machines is typically some form of media, often paper, that is deposited onto a media receiver, such as an output tray, where it is collected by a user upon completion of a media processing job. A typical example of such a machine is the office laser printer.
As is well known in the art, the location of the output trays in modern laser printers is constrained by the printing mechanism and a particular point in the printing process where the printed media exits the printer. Of course, the mechanism can be configured in such a way that the typical user will have ready access to the media deposited in the output tray. For example, a laser printer may be designed such that a normal user walks to the machine to find the printed media in a tray that is located conveniently for grasping the printed media while standing adjacent to the printer. However, an output tray located for a normal individual that stands adjacent to a printer may not be convenient for those users who are physically challenged, such as by confinement to a wheel chair, or those whose mobility or stature does not fall within the range of typical individuals.
Even in the case where a user is of typical physical capabilities, the design of printers or office machines may dictate that the output tray or trays be placed at inconvenient locations. This is often true where a particular device has a plurality of trays. For example, a full-featured laser printer that is designed to serve a large group of users may have a collating output that places media into a plurality of trays located in positions from close to the ground up to positions at the top of the printer. Depending on which tray a particular print job is deposited into, the location of a completed print job may or may not be conveniently positioned for a typical users and may be especially inconvenient for a challenged user.
There are a number of other exemplary business machines, including inkjet printers, copying machines, facsimile machines, image processing machines, mailing equipment and others that suffer from the aforementioned limitations of accessibility. Thus there is an ongoing need in the art for a system and method for improving the accessibility of media output by media processing devices